


Story of the Stars

by Willowingends



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 09:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7679320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowingends/pseuds/Willowingends
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some stories are written at birth. Others are outlined, and only the people involved can fill in the cracks. And some stories become bedtime stories for those we love the most. Lavender has always found it easier to tell her children the moment of realization like some huge romance story. But they're getting older, and it's time to lay some bones bare. After all, everyone learns the truth in the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Story of the Stars

“Tell us again the story of the stars!”

Lavender smiled warmly at her youngest daughter's pleading words. She gently rested a scarred hand upon the curly mess of black hair. “I've told it to you so many times already, are you sure you'd not rather something more interesting for a bedtime story?” She murmured softly.

“Papa's told us all the stories about the war.” Piped up one of the twins.

“And Father's told us all about the other parts of your school years.” His sister chimed in from her spot at the foot of the bed.

“And Mama can't tell a story to save her life.” The eldest said, rolling her dark brown eyes.

An indulgent smile became Lavender's face. The smile was warmer and brighter than the haunted looks that had followed her all those years ago after waking up. “Parvati should really tell the story, as it was _her_ great-grandmother who started it.” She pointed out, one side of her face dimpling as she listened to her children groan, the other side still reflecting joy though it was covered by scars. “But if it'll have you all in bed by the time Papa comes back from the office than I suppose I'll tell it to you.”

A loud chorus of excited cheers and hurried promises to lay down as soon as the story was over greeted these words. The six children piled up around Lavender, various bright eyes focusing on her as she slowly dimmed the lights with her wand before casting a quick charm to display the stars on the ceiling above them.

“Many years ago, when your Mama and Mausī had just been born, your great-grandmother cast her eyes to the night sky to observe the passing deities who shone upon the hour of the birth. Between the clouds of strife and loss, a star shone very bright. Alcor, the only star to retain his wife out of all his brothers. As the night went on, Pūrva Phalgunī came to shine as well. Your great-grandmother knew then that your Mama and Mausī would have great lives, filled with happiness and love, but only after great loss.”

Her voice trailed off as she let the stars fade slowly into an image of a castle. She smiled sadly up at the image, her hand leaving her youngest daughter's hair to rest against the scars that discolored her dark skin. Then she lowered her eyes to the six sets focused upon her and spoke again. “Seventeen years after those stars shone so brightly above India, far on the isle where your Mama was born, a great war had ended, and love began to blossom in its ashen remains...”

 

* * *

 

The castle felt empty. That was the first thing that occurred to Lavender as she walked down the stone hallways, supported on either side by Seamus and Dean. She had tried to tell them that she had recovered from Greyback's attack, although they didn't seem to believe her no matter how many times she said it. Not that she could blame them really, what with the claw marks across her once beautiful dark face. She didn't look like she was recovered, and she still broke into tears whenever she saw them.

She was so thankful Parvati had taken to doing her make-up for her. The other woman didn't bat an eye at the scars. She'd only commented on them once, and that was to damn them for not taking make-up on to them, leaving them unable to be concealed.

That had been another reason why Lavender hadn't been able to stop crying for the past week,

Lavender forced herself to stop thinking that line of thought before she started crying again. That would not help her case in convincing the young men beside her that she was okay. And shouldn't they be focusing on Dean anyway? He'd been the one on the run for the past year or so. Why hadn't he answered any of her questions of where he had been and how he'd survived. She opened her mouth to ask just that question, but stopped when both Seamus and Dean stiffened on either side of her. She glanced forward and her questioning expression became one of closed off pain. A half-memory that made her lips tighten into a thin line, made her look dangerous with the scars pulling at her mauled skin.

“This is where you found me, isn't it?”

She stared at the foot of the staircase. She refused to shake, to quiver despite the few memories her mind could recall. Darting forward, ahead of the rest, her wand raised, a large form barreling into her as she tried to climb the steps, a broken scream.

Seamus didn't meet her gaze as she turned to look at him. Instead he coughed and jerked his head in what she supposed was supposed to be a nod. “Yeah. You were...Were just lying there and he was crouched over you and-” He broke off, his hand closing so tightly around her arm that she winced. He immediately let go and would have stumbled away if she wouldn't have gently caught his hand.

“Trewlaney dropped a crystal ball on his head after Hermione stunned him.” Dean supplied softly, rubbing Seamus' back and gently touching her side. As though that statement could remove the horror, as though memories could be banished with a creature's death.

“I'll have to send them both thank you notes.” Lavender mused to herself. Her thoughts fled away from that dark night, her eyes searching out the shadows of the stairs for Parvati. They had promised they were taking her to Parvati, why did they keep going down, down, down the stairs of the castle?

 

* * *

 

“ _Mom_.” Rose groaned loudly. The eldest whined, showing the impatient temperament of her father in that moment. Her white skin, the only glimpse of lily skin through the sea of brown skin and green eyes that were the other children.

Lavender grinned at the girl, carefully raising a perfectly penciled in eyebrow. “Do you have a complaint, little flower?” She asked calmly.

“Um, yeah!” The girl said before looking around at her siblings, as though assessing their ages. “We've _all_ been to Hogwarts now! Cian could probably tell you the exact layout by now!” The young boy ducked his head, smiling shyly.

“I agree mom.” Carol said, her soft voice growing louder as she attempted to be heard. The little girl curled against her side blushing under her tan skin as Lavender gazed down at her.

Adah rolled her eyes, speaking up before her twin brother could. “What we're saying is you don't have to give us the tour of the castle! We know where you find Parvati, on your trip down from the hospital wing after the war! You find her in the dungeons brewing potions!”

“And you always stop and make us stare at that staircase base, but you never tell us why. It's kind of boring.” Sahil chimed in, shrugging as his mother shook her head at their brazen attitudes.

She flicked her wand and the image of the castle's interior moved swiftly to a potions' classroom. “There, is that better my littles?” She asked with warmth in her words. “It looks as though you've finally caught on to my little ploy to extend the story so you'll fall asleep halfway through.” It was a clever ruse she used to cover up her hesitance to simply bypass that staircase. She could not yet tell them why that location was so important. They were too young, even though Dean insisted Rose was old enough to know at least part of the truth of her scars now. But these were her children and she wanted to keep them safe from the horrible truth of the war for as long as she could.

“Now, where shall I start?, since you've been so rude as to have me skip forward?” She hummed, tapping her wand and making four stars appear in the classroom displayed on the ceiling. “Where the stars have gathered I suppose, hearts beating with a steady fire, anxious to speak but afraid to be blown out...”

 

* * *

 

 

Opening the door, Lavender was unsurprised to find Padma and Parvati both bent over a cauldron. Though they were among a group of other potion brewers, the twins seemed distant, held apart as the others were not. Their concentration was focused solely on the steaming potion before them. Caution told her not to approach them, and her sense of smell begged her not to walk close to them. So she stood back by the door. Seamus and Dean had no problem moving forward to Parvati, though Seamus did take a moment to make sure Lavender would be okay left alone for a few minutes.

Which she would be. Because she was a Gryffindor and could take care of herself. Who wouldn't jump at shadows and would not tear up when curious eyes turned towards her. She wouldn't, wouldn't, _wouldn't._

She did watch the other three with careful eyes though, focusing on them so she would not focus on the vapors in the room or the curious glances from the other volunteers making healing potions. When Padma pushed Parvati away gently, nodding pointedly towards Lavender, she blushed, and moved backwards into the hallway.

What an odd sensation. To not want to be noticed, to not want eyes drawn to her. It was new, and a part of her did not like it. Did not like this change in her very personality that came with these damned scars.

She waited, her hand against the cold of the stone as she waited for the other three to join her.

“You shouldn't have walked so far.” Parvati chastised, flicking her wand and casting a cleaning charm upon her hands before reaching forward and embracing Lavender tightly before turning to the young men with her hands on her hips. “And you shouldn't have allowed her to walk this far.”

Seamus frowned at her, wrapping his hand around his side. “We weren't just going to tell her no when she wanted to go walking. And besides, Pomfrey says the exercise is good for her.” His voice had a biting, bitter tone. As though he was repeating advice they'd all already been told.

“That and she wanted to see you, and we all got told not to send any spells or owls down to the dungeons, so the only choice was to bring her to you.” Dean pointed out, his hand resting lightly on Lavender's shoulder now, a comforting weight that she had realized she'd needed.

“And besides that,” Lavender said sharply, “it was my choice to come down here. I don't like laying in bed unless I'm being lazy and avoiding homework.” It was a poor joke, but it was her attempt to return to normal conversation, to make them all forget for the moment that she had been an invalid. She wasn't happy about it and she didn't want it to be continuously brought up.

Parvati rolled her eyes, turning back to Lavender with concern still evident in them. “Yeah, but you're allowed to be lazy right now. You were _hurt_. Seriously hurt.” Her voice cracked on the first hurt and Lavender wanted to shake her, wanted to make her stop acting like they had lost her for that short time. She had never died, she had just been trying to survive. And she had, didn't that prove she was strong enough to make her own choices?

“I'm just tired of being avoided.” She snapped back at the other young woman. “After that first day you haven't come to see me _at_ _all_. And I _miss you_.” She glanced at the young men standing behind Parvati, her eyes softening. “I miss all of us. I miss the four of us sitting together and talking and-”

“We haven't done that in years.”

Lavender closed her eyes tightly and clenched her hands tight against her side. “That's the _point_. We haven't done it in years and-” She bit her lip, choking back the tears, the frustration that welled inside of her. “I almost _died._ Okay? I admit it. I almost died, we all almost died, and the fact I'd never get to sit with you three, talk with you three, be with you three again? That was terrifying and I hated it and I don't want to waste time avoiding each other. I don't want to be _so bloody ignorant_ as to think I'll be happy like that.”

Her eyes snapped open to glare at the three who were now staring at her. “Sure, I got to spend a year with Seamus and Parvati. But what were we doing all year? Struggling to survive. Struggling to keep others safe. I want to sit with you two and not cry, not heal over wounds that should have never appeared on your skin.” She spat. “I want to sit there with Dean, all of us so close that the air's so warm with happiness that it's suffocating. I want to listen to Dean talk about his family again, listen to the stories of the Patil family, to Seamus running his mouth about ancient Irish legends.” She could feel tears pricking her eyes and she angrily wiped them away.

“I _love_ all three of you so much. So _bloody_ much.” She choked out. “And I know you're the only ones who will ever be able to fully accept me. My shallowness, my scars, my new nature. And I can't pick between you three don't _make_ me. Just trust me for this one instance that I know what I'm doing when it comes to love!”

 

* * *

 

 

A collection of gasps came from the children. It took all of Lavender's self-control not to break down into laughter at the reaction they had to her colorful language. To smother the sorrow that tried to well up in her as she saw Rose's eyes go dark with the understanding that came to the sixteen year old witch. The way the dots connected in the young girl's head to the fact that the death was not spoken of by a dramatic, love-sick fool but by someone who had truly encountered danger.

“And then, as true love does, bright lights seemed to shine.” Lavender said softly, bringing the image of the dungeon to a brighter image of a sunlit sky, to a house with eight bedrooms, a large yard. To a bedroom filled with children and parents piled on to one large bed. “It shone so bright, that even the most stubborn of the stars could not deny for long how truly they wished to love, to be held and kissed and comforted.”

Adah looked up, her eyes still wide from the soft swears Lavender had used. “And they lived happily after all, right?” She asked softly, as though scared that the usual happy ending would be torn away. And she was just wise for her years, wasn't she? Lavender gathered her close, kissing the top of her head.

“Yes. More than happy. There has never been a happier family in the history of the stars.” She whispered, but her voice carried over all the children who sat curled up on her bed. “And with that.... I think it's bed time.” She spoke softly, a smile on her lips as she heard them all groan, the spell of the story was broken. And wasn't that the beauty of youth? To make sudden, deep realizations, and then to move on from it. Because they were told to go to bed, which was _very_ unfair.

 


End file.
